Rop på hjälp från barnbyn i Rafah – brevet till utrikesministern

Barnen i vår barnby i Rafah, Gaza, är i akut fara efter uppgifter om attacker mot staden. Det finns ingen säker plats att fly till och trots hårt arbete har vi inte hittat ett säkert sätt för barnen att lämna Gaza.

I barnbyn finns 76 barn, mellan 1 och 14 år, samt 11 barn som blivit ensamma under kriget. Vår barnby i Rafah är en humanitär plats, där barn får skydd. Det är en plats som måste respekteras och skyddas under krig enligt internationell lag.

Vi har skrivit till Tobias Billström och andra regeringar runt om i världen och kräver att internationell lag följs. Så här skrev vi:

Skriv under namninsamlingen här

Dear Tobias Billström,

We are writing to you today as a member of the world’s largest non-governmental organisation focused on supporting children without parental care and families at risk. SOS Children’s Villages works in Gaza, the West Bank and in Israel, where we provide direct care for children and young people without adequate parental care, among other services.

We are receiving multiple, authoritative reports regarding an Israeli attack on Southern Gaza, and a massive relocation of the over 1.3 million people who are reportedly sheltering there. The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. The media reports almost daily fatalities in Rafah as bombardments move south.

We ask for your critical support in raising awareness and responding to their needs with us. We fear for the safety and well-being of the children and staff in our SOS Children’s Village in Rafah, Gaza.

Currently, there are 76 children under SOS Children’s Villages Palestine guardianship sheltering in Children’s Village Rafah, with ages ranging from 1 to 14, cared for by 16 caregivers. Also sheltering in the Children’s Village are 11 unaccompanied children. UNICEF intends to refer more unaccompanied and separated children to the village. Additionally, there are approximately 225 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Children’s Village Rafah, most of whom are either SOS Children’s Villages staff with their families or former beneficiaries, but also security guards and their families. There are no alternative safe locations for them to go to if they had to abandon the SOS Children’s Village. Further, despite our organisation’s repeated requests through multiple channels, there is no permission for the children and their carers to leave Gaza.

The total number of children killed in Gaza since 08 October 2023 now far surpasses the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones since 2019.

On behalf of the children in our care, we urge you to support and raise awareness that SOS Children’s Villages is a humanitarian location in Rafah where children and their caregivers are sheltering, a location which must be respected and protected during war in accordance with the international rules of armed conflict.

SOS Children’s Villages has shared the coordinates of SOS Children’s Village Rafah and its attached school with the United Nations Access Support Unit (UN ASU) Gaza, via the Emergency Coordination portal (ECP), and they have been acknowledged for deconfliction purposes. SOS Children’s Villages Palestine in Gaza is cooperating closely with UNICEF.

However, with the intensity of the bombardment we appeal to all who can support us to please do everything you can to keep avoid harm to the SOS Children’s Village in Rafah and its accompanying school.
Help us to protect the safety of the children and caregivers in our locations in Rafah (SOS Children’s Village and School). The coordinates of our location are as follows:

Facility: SOS Children’s Village Rafah
Responsible Org.: SOS Children’s Village Palestine
Location: 31.311935829085805,34.24657262417189
Facility: SOS Children’s Village Rafah
Responsible Org.: SOS Children’s Village Palestine
Location: 31.312250011318454,34.24628068237151

Thank you for your support.

Kind regards,
Petra Nyberg
Tf Generalsekreterare SOS Barnbyar